Liberal Party of Brazil

The Liberal Party of Brazil is a liberal political party in Brazil which was founded in 1837. The party was founded by Joaquim Nabuco to defend the interests of rural lords and the urban middle strata, and it had a base of support in the provinces in the center-south of the country. It was rivals with the Conservative Party of Brazil, which defended the rural slave elites, and the party defended provincial autonomy and elected deputies. The old party dissolved in 1889 with the end of the Empire of Brazil, but it was revived in 1985. After 1999, the Pentecostal church in Brazil heavily influenced the party, and it supported Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government. However, it was plagued with corruption allegations.